“HE STRIPPED SOULS AS BARE AS BODIES!” Synopsis: A doctor uses special eye drops to give himself x-ray vision, but the new power has disastrous consequences.

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Calamity Brains:

The Man with the X-Ray eyes is definitely one of the better Roger Corman pictures. There’s actually good use of special effects; it’s not entirely low budget; both the script and the characters are interesting. As a scientist, Dr. Xavier (Ray Milland) wants to better see and understand the world… which, naturally, leads to his downfall. A hunted man, he then travels through a variety of careers, trying to make use of the sight he has created, all in vain.

This movie is more of a psychological thriller than mad science horror movie. What deaths there are are mostly incidental; the real horror of the piece is watching a brilliant man slowly lose everything, including his mind. The music also lends itself well to the disturbing atmosphere of the film.

With a couple of exceptions, the special effects for Dr. Xavier’s x-ray vision are quite effective. The filmmakers used a variety of techniques to simulate the varying stages of his super-vision, all of which were interesting without being distracting. Especially considering the time period, the special effects do a great job of capturing what Dr. Xavier sees as his vision changes.

For those who are nervous because of Corman’s name, don’t be. It’s not at all like his standard low-budget creature features. Despite the less monstrous sort of mad science that goes on here, it’s definitely a movie worth watching.

Calamity Brains’ Rating: B
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